Graham Warwick

Yrs. on County Council:   7
Municipality:    Municipality of West Elgin
Office:    Mayor

Councillor Warwick is the immediate past warden of Elgin County.  His passion about rural issues has served the community as he brings this unique perspective and interest to his council colleagues. 

Currently, Councillor Warwick serves on the Local Health Integration Network committee of the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus.  For Elgin County Council, he is a member of the Dispute Resolution committee, and the Rural Initiatives committee, of which he is a founding member. Through this committee, the County introduced two major initiatives: an Elgin-wide approach to economic development, and later, planning.

Councillor Warwick and his wife Elizabeth Sebestyen live in West Elgin, north of Rodney, by the Thames River.  They have two sons: Asaph and Simon. Councillor Warwick works part-time at a neighbour’s farrow to finish pork operation. 

After serving as a provincial director of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture in the 1980s-1990s and as president of the Elgin Federation of Agriculture, Councillor Warwick first ran for public office in 1988 when he was elected to Aldborough Township Council, serving on committees ranging from amalgamation, to waste management, and the committee that established the flourishing West Elgin Community Health Centre.

Prior to being elected the Mayor of West Elgin in 2003, he served as Deputy Mayor for six years.

As Mayor, he is the chair of the ‘Friends of Four Counties,’ a support group for rural hospitals; he chairs the Waste Management committee; and is a member of the ‘Coalition for Small Schools.’

His community interests include the West Elgin Nature Club and being a director of the Thamesville Community Credit Union.

Councillor Warwick completed his first year of post secondary school education at the University of Toronto in 1973. He transferred to Ridgetown College where he earned his Diploma in Agricultural Production and Management.

As Warden in 2009, he helped steer Council through economically challenging times. He was very pleased for his colleagues and County staff when Elgin won four different awards as it rolled out its new branding, economic development and tourism initiatives. The County also received an award for innovation by partnering with Durham Region in collecting PDA fines efficiently.

Councillor Warwick may be left a message by calling 519-695-5790 or by email at mayor@westelgin.net